siouxon creek #1

date hiked: may 19, 2007
distance: 6 miles
highest elevation: 3400 feet
elevation gain: 2200 feet
time: 2 hours 52 minutes

every once in awhile on a hike, it feels like you are alone in the world. some people find it discomforting. i find it exhilarating. a long time ago, i was asked to imagine where i felt the safest in the world. my response was, “beneath the ocean, scuba diving.” when diving, there is a quiet unlike anything i’ve ever known…and you feel a solitude so personal, so expansive…as if it’s been gifted to you. beneath the ocean, you are alone, but it is okay. the siouxon creek trail has two trailheads. the first entrance goes through the gifford pinchot national forest until about the 3 mile mark. then you hit the second trailhead, and much more popular trail.

as i was hiking the three miles into this beautiful landscape. i realized there wasn’t anyone…around…anywhere. dancing like a fairy…done. adopting moss-like creatures as your new friends…done. mediating a conflict between the ferns and the conifers…done.

i never saw another person, ever. it was glorious. it brought me back to some of those similar things. it was so quiet. for this moment i am alone in the world, here. i had an amazing day.

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